Building Bridges

A CLASSIC 60s rock star, Cat Stevens was responsible for some of our best-loved tunes.

A prolific songwriter, songs like Morning Has Broken, Wild World, Moonshadow and The First Cut Is the Deepest, established him as a global name, shifting more than 60 million albums.

Then something remarkable happened.

At the height of his popularity, Cat was swimming in the sea off Malibu, California, when he nearly drowned. He made a promise that if he survived, he would leave behind his pop star ways, and devote his life to God. A large wave appeared instantly and carried him back to the beach.

Cat kept his side of the deal. He became a Muslim, changed his name to Yusuf Islam, turned his back on music, gave away his guitars and devoted himself to peace, education and humanitarian work.

That was in 1977. It took 28 years for him to return to the music industry.

Now calling himself simply ‘Yusuf’ he has once again embraced his musical talents, releasing a new album – though, as he explains, he is now playing on his terms, rather than those of a corrupt music industry. And, he admits, he is very happy.

“As God wills it, I feel great!” he enthuses.

“Life is full of new mornings and the unexpected – just like our British weather.

“Being 61 years old is full of benefits, grandchildren being one of them. I am massively grateful for my good health and rejuvenated inspiration on my creative side, and I still feel 17!”

And after that self-imposed fallow period, he has thrown himself into his work.

“My latest album Roadsinger was released in May, so the first part of the year was very hectic in terms of getting all the various aspects of the album together.

“The music business has changed, but people still like what I do, which is great.

“Recently I played some live shows that were climactic – the audience response has been incredible. I’m also currently working on a stage musical based on my songs, called Moonshadow.”

So what makes him happy?

“When people express their love for my music, it makes me delighted,” he answers.

“But perhaps, more than that, the work I've done, and continue to do, in education is probably the most rewarding. Having established the right for Muslim children to equality in having their own faith-based schools was a big step for the Muslim community in this country and I feel chuffed about that.

“Also, spending time with my family, including my two young granddaughters makes me really happy – until they start screaming!”

So why did he spend so long away from music? “One of the songs from Roadsinger features the lyric ‘to be what you must, you must give up what you are.’ “I’d been a pop star since my teenage years, and I needed an extraordinarily long break and extra time out to get a life.

“Instead of being an idol, I just wanted to be ordinary and human-sized, to be able to get on a bus, you know, and enjoy simple things. If I had stayed in the music industry, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve all the things I wanted.”

And, he explains, he has been busy. “I focused mostly on charitable activities, and helped establish one of the first international Muslim relief organisations here in the UK.

“I began lecturing, explaining why I gave up my life as a pop star for a new one as a Muslim.

“There’s still a way to go before we return to a more balanced and holistic view of humanity without passports, borders or wars; to get round to making this world a more peaceful place, but the peace train is surely on its way... so I’ve been happy lately.”

And is all that work really result of that near drowning?

“You could say so, yes,” he admits.

“But my entry to Islam was part of a gradual process which began when I first fell seriously ill with tuberculosis in the late 60s. My time in hospital was my first chance to stop and reflect on life and death, and consider the big questions.

“From then on I became restless in seeking a spiritual home. That represented, for me, nothing less than the universal truth. My songs from then on were written in a much more reflective manner, mirroring the journey within myself. It was also a mirror of my generation going through that period.

“After the near drowning experience, I received a copy of the Qu’ran from my brother, David. I was immediately struck by the clarity of thought it presented. The Qu’ran had all the answers I was seeking, and in 1977 I became a Muslim.”

But why give up the guitars?

“Though there was nothing in the Qur’an that said that music was actually forbidden, there were so many unsavoury sides to the music business that it made me doubtful.

“I just seriously needed and wanted a change. So one day I put all my instruments up for sale at an auction. There were gold records too, and we just sold the whole lot for charity and that was that.

So what changed to make him return?

“There were 101 reasons for me to return to music – as there were 100s of reasons for my wanting to leave.

“After various events in the world, such as the Gulf crisis, the Bosnian genocide, and the horrendous events of 9/11 and the then 7/7, it was clear that we were heading towards the brink of global war.

“Islam had been removed from its natural relevance and purpose as a spiritual revitaliser of human morality, kindness and character. The way I saw it, religion was designed by God to train us in the art of living together – even with our various differences.

“So it became obvious that we needed to build more bridges to link our common humanity away from the antagonistic warmongers. The peace train needed to get going again. And in fact it was that song, which I rerecorded, which set me on the path to fully accepting the need to write and sing after my long break away.”

Yusuf recently stunned the music industry by accepting an invitation to play at Cropredy Festival – appearing tomorrow as a guest of organisers, Fairport Convention.

“It was my ol’ guitar buddy, Alun Davies, who told me about the event and somehow the idea just ‘cropped’ up,” he laughs.

“After all, I was a close ally of folk music and Fairport were my fellow label cousins. The band’s Gerry Conway, was also my drummer for six years!

“I’m very excited about it. Cropredy appeals to me. It’ll be nice to see old friends again after so many years.

“I’m also a big fan of Richard Thompson – he’s one of my favourite guitarists.”

So what now is the most important thing in life for Yusuf?

“To meet God with a peaceful heart. Don’t worry if you don’t achieve everything you want in this world, just don’t give up trying... and know the best is yet to come – if God wills.”